The Kings Are Fulfilling The Civic Duty That Comes With Winning A Championship

Championships aren’t just about trophies, banners, and rings. They include more than parties, champagne, and parades.

With each new championship comes the opportunity to make good on newfound fame, increased excitement, and even a growing fan base. The Los Angeles Kings are sharing some unique pieces of their championship with some lucky members of the community, and they’re doing so in a way that will also give back to the city that saw them rise to the top as champs.

The Kings are not only raffling off an authentic, personalized Stanley Cup Championship ring, but they’re donating rings to multiple local charities who will be raising money from the rings in similar fashion.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, City Year, Boys and Girls Club, and Ronald McDonald House are each receiving Stanley Cup Rings as part of the Kings Care Foundation’s $1 million pledge.

CHLA is a private, non-profit teaching hospital that gives multidisciplinary care to over 93,000 children annually; City Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization, that partners with high-need public schools to provide full-time targeted student interventions; Boys and Girls Club provides after school programs for young people; and Ronald McDonald House provides comforting home-like environments to families with the need to travel to obtain medical care for their children.

“The Kings Care Foundation focuses on health related causes, educational and recreational activities for kids, so we wanted to focus on charities that fall under those umbrellas,” said Jennifer Pope, the Kings director of community relations and Kings Care Foundation. “We couldn’t pick 4 better charities to partner with.”

The history of the Stanley Cup ring dates all the way back to 1893, the inaugural year of the Stanley Cup. The Montreal AAA’s won the first Cup, and gave each of its seven players a ring inscribed with “MHC” (Montreal Hockey Club) and crossed hockey sticks.

Despite a few championship teams who chose to give other tokens of their championship to its players in lieu of a ring, the ring has become synonymous with a Stanley Cup Championship, as it has with other sports titles.

The decision to raffle off a ring was an easy one for the Kings.

“The Kings are going to be a Stanley Cup winner for the first time only once. When you’re part of that first group, it’s something very special,” said Luc Robitaille, the Kings president of business operations. “You can’t buy a Stanley Cup ring, so for a fan to be a part of our group, it’s really special.”

“If we have the opportunity to share it with one person, at the end of the day you can do a lot of good with it. We’ve all been to Children’s Hospital, I’ve been to the Ronald McDonald House where I understand how much it takes for a family to be there for weeks, and if we can take that and take the championship our guys have earned and give an opportunity to a kid in need – because of that ring that someone bought – I just think it’s an amazing opportunity,” said Robitaille, who won his first Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002.

CHLA and City Year will be conducting public raffles similar to the Kings in order to raise funds. Those wishing to purchase raffle tickets through the Kings can do so by clicking here. All proceeds from the Kings raffle will go to the Kings Care Foundation, where the fundraising goal is $150,000.

“If someone wants to come in and be part of our special group of players and management, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Robitaille said.